Learning about You
by bugdork
Summary: Marinette's secret is in jeopardy when Adrien suspects she's Ladybug. A new akumatized victim completely changes the dynamic of Team Miraculous, and they wonder if it's possible to stop Hawkmoth for good. How will the team change? How will Marinette and Adrien change as they learn more about each other? (Rating subject to change.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Thank you for giving my MLB fanfic a chance, but before you read, I wanted to warn you about some things. **

**First, there's a HIGH chance this fic won't get finished. Usually when I have a story, there's an ending in sight, but for this one I have no clue, most likely because it follows so closely to the actual show's timeline. But my brains been itching with this idea for an episode, and I figured this would be a good place to share it. I have about eight chapters planned, but I do have a few more ideas for chapters developing. So, you can expect at least ten to twelve chapters.**

**The second warning are the pairings. I've seen some reviews that get really angry at the author for not disclosing all pairings in the description, even if the story doesn't end with that pairing. Personally, I hate this because it spoils the story for me. If you're like me and don't want to get spoiled, then SPOILER ALERT! Skip this paragraph if you don't want to know this story's pairings. Okay, you've been warned. The story begins with Adrien and Kagami already as a couple. Eventually, Luka and Marinette will become a couple, but both couples will break up resulting in the end ship being with Marinette and Adrien (and all of their other love square pairings). Nino and Alya will start out as a couple and stay a couple throughout the story. Same with Ivan and Mylene if I decide to give them screen time. If I decide to add any other couples, then I will put a disclaimer before the chapter. **

**The third warning deals with one minor change to the timeline. This version starts off with Adrien and Kagami dating. I wrote this after seeing spoilers for Desperata and thought they were dating. Then I watched the episode and realized they weren't but decided to keep what I wrote. **

**And the last warning is not really a warning, but I think it's good to let you know early on. Even though the show mostly focuses on Marinette, the story will probably focus more on Adrien. It's not that I'm trying to focus on him but because Adrien's my favorite character, so I'll naturally focus on his perspective. I'll do my best to keep it balanced between the two main characters, but this may be more Adrien focused. **

**And with that, finally, here is the chapter.**

* * *

The Real Marinette

"Miraculous ladybug!" Ladybug shouts. Red ladybugs sweep through the air and Paris returns to its original self.

"Pound it!" Chat Noir punches, but Ladybug hesitates. She looks down at her feet and her face burns bright red. "Something wrong M'Lady?"

"Chat Noir, I don't know what to do. I feel so conflicted."

"Conflicted about what?"  
"I don't think I can hide it anymore. I have feelings for you, Chat! I have for a while now."

Ladybug tries to hide her face, but Chat reaches out and grabs both of her hands. He bends down to look into her eyes.

"Ladybug?"

"I have feelings for you, but I'm worried about you finding out the real me. What if, you don't like her."

"That won't happen! I love you! I'll love you no matter what!"

The timer buzzes, and they detransform. Ladybug first, then Chat Noir. They stand in front of each other in their civilian attire.

"Marinette?"

* * *

"Marinette? Ladybug? You're … Ladybug?" Adrien moans in his sleep. Plagg watches over him, worried about what he is dreaming about.

"This is bad." Plagg mumbles. "What should I do?" He floats over to the window and looks out at the nighttime scenery.

Plagg closes his eyes and concentrates. "Tikki? Are you awake?" Plagg hopes Tikki will hear his telepathy. "Can you hear me?"

"Plagg! What the heck did you wake me up for?! D'you have any idea what time it is?!"

"I forgot how cranky Sugar Cube gets when she wakes up." Plagg says to himself.

"I heard that!"

"Tikki, we have an emergency. It's about Chat Noir."

"What happened?" On the other side of Paris, Tikki floats around Marinette's room. She gets to Marinette's bed and watches over her.

"I think my owner figured out Ladybug's identity."

"What makes you say that?"

"He muttered her name in his sleep just now, and he was, like, 'you're … Ladybug?'" Plagg mocks Adrien's voice.

"Oh deer."

"How's your owner? Does she suspect anything?"

Tikki looks down at Marinette. Marinette rolls around in her bed and mumbles in her sleep. "Adrien! You're so … hot."

"I don't think so."

"That's good."

"Has anything happened to make him suspect?"

"No. I don't think so. It's just been the dream."

"Well, just because it's a dream doesn't mean he'll remember it in the morning, and if he does, try your best to not let him find out. They can't know each other's identities. You know what Master Fu will do."

Plagg hovers over to Adrien's bed. "Ladybug, you're … Marinette…" Adrien mutters.

"I know, Tikki. I know."

The next morning, Adrien wakes up to the alarm on his phone.

"Noooo! I want to keep dreaming." Adrien moans.

Plagg zips to Adrien's side. "Rise and shine sleepy head! You don't want to be late for school."

"Plagg, I had the weirdest dream. I dreamt that I found out Ladybug's identity, and it was Marinette. And Marinette was in love with me too."

"Buah! Marinette? Ladybug? Don't be ridiculous! Marinette can barely walk a straight line. There's no way she's Ladybug!"

"I know it seemed weird, but the dream seemed," Adrien scratches his head trying to find the words. "Real somehow."

"But don't all dreams seem real in a way?"

"I guess, but this was different. It's like, my dream was trying to tell me something I already know."

"Okay, let's go with that. Freud would say that your dream is a manifestation of what your subconscious' desires. Maybe, you want Ladybug to be Marinette because you're secretly in love with her." Plagg suggests. He tries hard not to be obvious about his hidden intentions to pair up Adrien and Marinette.

"Plagg, don't be ridiculous. Marinette's just a friend." Plagg rolls his eyes as Adrien leaves to the bathroom.

"Marinette's just a friend." Plagg mocks Adrien's voice. "If I hear him say that one more time, I'll barf."

"By the way," Adrien calls out from the bathroom. "I'm surprised you didn't ask for Camembert yet. Is something wrong?"

"What's wrong is that you didn't offer it to me first thing in the morning." Plagg zips across the room to Adrien. "How long have I been living here, and you still don't know the routine?! The nerve!"

* * *

Marinette gets to school before the bell rings and greets Alya by the entrance. Before she enters the building, Adrien's limo drives up, and Adrien walks out.

"Morning guys." Adrien waves.

"Morning Adrien." Alya waves back and nudges Marinette to do the same.

"Mo-morning A-Adrien." Marinette stutters.

Adrien quickly climbs the stairs to talk to the two girls. "How have your days been so far?"

"Eh, the same." Alya remarks.

Adrien pins his focus on Marinette, and she notices. "You doing good, I-I-I mean I'm doing good both. I mean, also!" Adrien inches closer to Marinette and backs her into the school. Her face turns red.

"How about you?" Marinette's smile twitches revealing her nerves. She looks around Adrien for an escape but can't find one. They continue backing into the school while Adrien analyzes the blue hue of Marinette's eyes. "A-Adrien?"

"Ladybug?" He whispers.

Marinette's face goes pale. She plants her feet down forcing Adrien to stop. "What did you just say?"

Adrien's stunned. He rarely hears Marinette not stuttering that hearing her calm, clear voice seems jarring. He studies her closer. Marinette's always looked like Ladybug, but her stance in this moment seems surer and more confident. The unwavering, powerful presence reminds him of the times he's fought alongside his partner.

"Everything okay here?"

Adrien and Marinette turn to see Luka standing next to them.

"We're just chatting." Adrien says.

The bell rings.

"We should get going."

"Adrien." Marinette grabs his forearm, surprising him more. "I don't know where you got that idea, but you're wrong." Marinette lets go of his arm expecting him to leave, but he doesn't.

"But you know, things would make sense if I'm right." Adrien adjusts his bag and runs to his classroom. "See you later, Luka." Luka waves back.

"Is everything really alright?" Luka asks Marinette. "It looked like you were being cornered, there."

"Everything's fine, but I appreciate your concern."

"If you need anything, I'm happy to help anytime."

"Thank you, Luka, but I'm really fine."

Luka waves behind him as he heads to class. When his back is turned, Marinette heaves a big sigh and slumps her shoulders. Alya comes up from behind and slings her arm around Marinette. "Well, well. If it isn't the average life of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Two boys at her side." Alya smirks.

Marinette buries her face in her hands. "This is bad."

"What is?"

"I think Adrien's found out my secret."

"About damn time! He should know how you feel about him." Marinette runs in a different direction from her classroom.

"Where are you going?" Alya calls out. "Class is starting soon. Marinette!"

Marinette barges into the bathroom and blocks the door with her back. "This is a disaster. A disaster!" She screams out. "Tikki, do you know if I did anything to make Adrien suspect my identity?"

Tikki flies out of Marinette's pouch. "I don't know Marinette, but you need to be careful around him."

"Ugh, why! Why is it the guy that I have a crush on have to suspect my identity! As if I wasn't nervous around him already!" Marinette pulls at her hair. "We need to figure out how to keep him from suspecting me."

"I agree, but how?"

Throughout the day, Adrien eyes Marinette. In the classroom, during break, even during PE. He watches her as she stumbles around the basketball court. He laughs as she tries to get the ball to bounce instead of roll at her feet. He laughs so hard that he doesn't see his own ball from the boy's game flying towards him. "Adrien! Watch out!" Nino calls out, but Adrien didn't notice in time. The ball hits Adrien's back.

Nino runs to help him. "You okay, dude?" Nino offers a hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."

"What's with you? You've been out of it all day."

"I'm fine, Nino. Don't worry. It's just one of those days, you know?" Adrien glances at Marinette and catches her looking at him. She jumps back from surprise but quickly goes back to playing the game. Adrien giggles.

"Dude, you've been staring at Marinette a lot today. You're not planning to cheat on Kagami, are you?"

"Huh? Of course not." Adrien says.

"But you keep looking at her with love eyes."

"What?"

"You know, love eyes. You look at her as if you have hearts in your eyes." Nino forms his hands in the shape of a heart. "You better make up your mind about who you like before you hurt your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?!" Adrien and Nino turn towards the bench and sees Chloe standing with shaking fists at her sides. "Adrikins, you have a girlfriend!"

"I guess." Adrien scratches his head.

"What do you mean, you guess?"

"Kagami and I only recently started going out."

"Kagami?! That fencing nerd with one facial expression? Why her?"

"Uh, well." Adrien hesitates to answer, and Chloe has no patience to wait. "I can't believe this!" She runs off, and Sabrina leaves the girls' game to chase after her.

Chloe sits on a bench in the bathroom and cries while Sabrina rubs Chloe's shoulders to console her.

"I can't *heave* believe *heave* this! *Heave*. When did *heave* Adrien *heave* and that, that –" Chloe continues to cry.

"There, there, Chloe. You're much prettier than that tiny sword girl and have a better fashion sense. She doesn't even use a real sword."

It doesn't help. Chloe continues to cry, and Hawkmoth hears it.

* * *

Hawkmoth opens his windowpane to see out into Paris. "Ah, a young love. Your first love always hurts the most. I should know." A white butterfly lands on Hawkmoth's palm. He gives an evil laugh as he cups the butterfly. It turns it into an akuma. "Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize her!"

* * *

Chloe is still crying in the bathroom when the akuma finds her. Sabrina is the first to notice it.

"Chloe! Watch out! There's an akuma here!"

"I don't care anymore!" The akuma enters Chloe's sunglasses allowing Hawkmoth to send her a message.

"Duchess Medusa, I am Hawkmoth. With one look into your eyes, anyone will fall in love with you. No one will be able to resist you. Especially Adrien Agreste. All I want in exchange are Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous."

"Everyone will love me." Purple smog bubbles out of Chloe as she changes into Duchess Medusa. Her sunglasses morph into a diamond crown that rest upon her blonde, snake-like hair. Her eyeshadow becomes bright and glittery pink while her lips turn deep red. Her outfit changes into a white, sleeveless, turtleneck dress that reaches just above her knees. Along her arms are gold and pink tattoos that interlace like vines on her skin and extend from her shoulders to her fingertips. The transformation finishes with a pair of white high heels.

"Ch-Chloe?" Sabrina stutters.

Medusa jerks her head towards Sabrina. Their eyes meet, and Sabrina falls for Chloe. Love at first sight.

"Sabrina, do you love me?" The Duchess coos. She seductively walks towards Sabrina and pets Sabrina's face with the back of her hand.

"Of course." Sabrina melts.

Medusa leans in to whisper into Sabrina's ear. "Then bring me Adrien."

* * *

**A/N: I have a new found respect for the writers and how they come up with the villain names. **


	2. Chapter 2

Duchess Medusa

Medusa barges through the door with Sabrina by her side. She looks at the ground as she walks towards her classmates. They all stare at her. Everyone has recognized that Chloe is acting strange, but Medusa's transformation is simple enough that no one has noticed the change.

Medusa looks up and locks eyes with the first person she sees – Nathaniel. He runs towards Medusa with open arms and yells, "Chloe! I love you!"

Sabrina shoves him. "She's mine!" Everyone watches confused as Sabrina and Nathaniel push and tackle each other to get to Chloe.

"Stop it!" Chloe yells. The snake hiss at the two of them, and they obey. Medusa scans the room locking eyes with as many people as she can. "I am no longer Chloe. From now on, call me Dutchess Medusa!" More people run to her side expressing their love while everyone else runs screaming.

"Marinette, this way!" Adrien drags her to safety inside an empty classroom. He locks the door and looks out the window slit.

Marinette tiptoes next to Adrien and watches out the window. A mob brews outside with people fighting over Medusa.

A whistle blows disrupting the chaos. "Chloe Bourgeois!" Ms. Mendeleiev yells. "Stop this nonsense this instant! I have no intentions for any disruptions while I'm substituting for your PE teacher."

The snakes on Medusa's hair hiss and Max tackles Ms. Mendeleiev to the ground. He overwhelmingly overpowers her.

"Take her somewhere she can't interfere. Follow him in case something happens." Medusa commands. Max carries Ms. Mendeleiev with one arm while Kim and Ivan follow him. They take Ms. Mendeleiev to the locker room, then come back out with ten more students. Max carries two, and Kim and Ivan carry four each.

"It looks the people she hypnotized become stronger." Says Marinette.

"But how come Ms. Mendeleiev didn't get hypnotized?"

"Maybe her powers don't work on adults?" Says Marinette.

Medusa looks in their general direction, and Marinette and Adrien duck. Their faces are inches apart, and they both fall backwards from embarrassment.

"Do you think she saw us?" Adrien asks.

"We should be safe here a little longer."

But it doesn't matter if Marinette is safe. She needs to transform into Ladybug, and she can't do that with Adrien there. She looks around trying to come up with a way to sneak out while still keeping Adrien safe.

"We should wait here until Ladybug comes." Adrien smirks.

"We?" Marinette's voice cracks.

"Unless you're Ladybug. Then you can transform right now and save the day."

"Adrien, I told you. I'm not Ladybug."

A shout is heard from outside. "Bring me Adrien!" Marinette and Adrien look out the window. Some of her victims stay behind and search the school. The majority follow Medusa.

"Did she say 'Adrien'?" Adrien asks. "Why me?"

"Maybe because she found out you're dating Kagami."

"Why would she care about that?"

"What do you mean, 'why'? Because she has a crush on you, Adrien."

Adrien's dumbfounded. "Chloe has a crush on me?"

Screams can be heard outside as Medusa's victims drag others out from safety. Adrien's face turns from shock to horror realizing this is all his fault.

"You stay here. I'll distract them to save the others."

"Are you crazy! They're after you!"

"Exactly. I can't let others get hurt when it's me they want. You stay here. Please, stay safe." Adrien will prove Marinette's Ladybug later.

"You be careful too, Adrien."

Adrien takes a deep breath, then runs out the door. "Hey brainless! Come catch me if you can!" Adrien bolts and a herd follows after him.

After Adrien leaves, Tikki flies out of Marinette's pouch. "That was a close one, but Adrien seems like a good guy."

"He is. If only he's not trying to learn my identity."

"We'll worry about that later. Right now, you need to transform."

"You're right. Tikki! Spots on!"

Marinette transforms, then goes to save Adrien. She finds him outside the school running from the hoard. Ladybug swings down with her yo-yo and snatches Adrien before taking him to a nearby rooftop.

"You okay?" Ladybug asks.

"I'm fine."

"Stay here. You should be safe." Ladybug swings away.

"You be careful too!" Adrien yells and watches her leave.

Plagg uses the alone time to fly out of Adrien's overshirt. "Are you insane?!" Plagg scolds. "You could have hurt yourself running out into a mob of crazies like that!"

"I couldn't have stayed with Marinette. If they're after me, then I would have put her at risk."

"And what was that with trying to get Marinette to transform in front of you? What if she's not Ladybug?"

"She is! I'm certain of it now. This morning, when I looked into her eyes, it was like looking into My Lady's. And all her behaviors and mannerisms. I just need to prove it."

"Let's say you're right and she is Ladybug. What will exposing her prove? Do you think Ladybug will appreciate you more if she knows you've been trying to find out who she is?"

Adrien wants to say something but doesn't know what. He knows he's irrational, but he's been wanting to find out Ladybug's identity for so long and with an opportunity finally within his reach, how can he refuse?

"You're right. I'm being stupid." Adrien admits. "Right now, we need to help Ladybug."

"That's the extra sweet kid that I know." Says Plagg.

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien yells. He transforms, then goes to help Ladybug.

* * *

After Ladybug made sure Adrien was safe, she went to a nearby rooftop to try and find Medusa. Instead, she sees teenagers terrorizing the streets. Cars abandoned in the streets, and civilians running in havoc. Half being teenagers looking for others to bring to Medusa, and the other half running for their lives wondering where is Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Ladybug swings down to help them. She picks up each civilian one by one and perches them on a rooftop. She gathers people until she's saved about ten, four of them are adults and six of them are teens. She goes down to pick up the last person, a teenaged boy, but gets blind sighted by two of Medusa's victims. Each yank one of Ladybug's arms and squeezes them tight. Ladybug cries in pain. It feels like her arms are about to snap.

Before her arms do break, a silver pole comes in between Ladybug and the two attackers. Ladybug looks up and sees Chat Noir arriving to the scene at last.

"Hurry and get him to safety. I'll buy you some time." Chat Noir shouts.

"Thanks, Kitty." Ladybug brings the boy to the roof with the rest of the people she saved. Chat Noir soon follows after her.

A girl that Medusa hypnotized shouts upward towards them. "I'll get you Ladybug and Chat Noir! I'll do anything for my love! My Dutchess Medusa!"

"My love?" Ladybug sticks out her tongue while she cringes.

"You can't control who you fall in love with. I should know." Chat Noir leans into Ladybug and gives her a coy smile.

Ladybug pushes him away. "Don't you have a girlfriend?"

Chat Noir blushes. He's been getting better at not flirting with Ladybug, but sometimes his instincts come out.

"We need to figure out where Chloe is." Says Ladybug. "Let's see if we can get any hints from the news." Ladybug pulls out her bugphone and checks for the most recent news update. Chat Noir and the people they rescued crowd around her.

"Don't be bemused. It's just the news. A new akumatized victim calling herself Dutchess Medusa has been going around Paris turning people into her slaves. Adults seem to be immune to her powers, most likely because she manipulates her victims by making them fall in love with her."

"Fall in love with her! That's why that girl called Medusa 'my love!'" Ladybug realizes.

"It seems to be a case of love at first sight, so if you see Dutchess Medussa, avoid eye contact as much as possible. Her victims also seem to gain incredible strength, so avoid anyone who has made eye contact with her. Ladybug and Chat Noir - "

"Should come to the TVi studio if they want to find me." Medusa's voice is heard off-screen.

"Oh, god." Nadja shrinks back and gets tackled by two of Medusa's victims. Only Medusa can be seen walking into the frame. She gets to the center of the camera, then looks dead into it.

"Don't look!" one of the adults yells.

Medusa continues talking. "Ladybug and Chat Noir, if you want to save Paris, then meet me at the TVi studio and give me your Miraculouses."

Two of the teenagers didn't turn away in time, and they swoon for Medusa.

"Medusa's the only one for me." One of them says.

"No, she's mine!" The other shouts.

They start to wrestle until Ladybug and Chat Noir yank them apart.

"You all stay here." Ladybug tells the group of people. "We'll make sure everything returns back to normal."

"Good luck, Ladybug." One of the adults says.

Ladybug takes one of the recently turned victims one way, and Chat Noir takes the other the other way. They put the two people in a safe place where they can't hurt each other before meeting up on another rooftop.

"So, what are we going to do?" Chat Noir asks. "It's obviously a trap."

"I know, but what else can we do?"

Ladybug and Chat Noir make their way to the TVi studio.

"Oh my god!" Ladybug shouts.

A cluster of teenagers crowd around the entrance of the TVi studio and takes up almost the entire block. Ladybug and Chat Noir gasp at the amount of people Medusa has affected.

"Are those all the people who watched the news?" Chat Noir asks.

"I think so."

"Well, we can't enter through the front."

"That leaves us with only one option." Ladybug points to the roof of the TVi studio. "She's probably still in the newsroom. Her army will be surrounding her, but we'll have the element of surprise."

"Where do you think the akuma is? Her crown?"

"It's the only thing on her that could have an akuma, so probably."

"Then after you, M'Lady."

They make their way to the top of the TVi studio but find four of Medusa's victims waiting for them. Ladybug and Chat Noir quickly take them out before making their way down the steps. They make it down the steps and through the halls and avoid anyone they encountered along the way. As expected, Medusa is there with her hoard. As many as a hundred boarder the periphery of the room, and just like at the school, her victims form a line in front of her, each holding down more people for her to seduce.

"Where's Adrien? Why have none of you found him yet!" Medusa snaps.

Hawkmoth sends her a telepathic message. "Forget about Adrien. Bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses!"

"Don't worry Hawkmoth. They have no choice but to fall into my trap." Medusa says as she lounges on the chair that sits in front of the camera. Along with the crowd of people that Medusa brought, the room has video equipment to broadcast the news. A backdrop screen, a camera, a teleprompter, and a screen that displays what the camera sees. But all of this is overshadowed by the army that Ladybug and Chat Noir have to face.

"I'm glad I don't have that kind of competition in my love life." Says Chat Noir.

This was meant as a joke, but Ladybug took it too seriously. Her face drops and shoulders sag. She recalls that the person she's in love with is already dating someone else. "It doesn't matter how much competition you have. If the other person doesn't love you back, it's pointless."

It was like a knife gouged out Chat Noir's heart. He might be trying to get over Ladybug, but he can't deny that he still loves her.

He doesn't want to think about that anymore. "What's they plan M'Lady?"

Ladybug refocuses. She scans the room but decides there's only one option. "Lucky charm!" Ladybug calls. She throws her yo-yo up into the air and down comes flashlight with a red background and black spots.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" She asks but is disrupted when she realizes the several eyes looking at her.

"Get her!" The snakes on Medusa's head dance. One by one, people climb the four ladders that lead up to the catwalk.

"You better figure out how to use your Lucky Charm fast, Bugaboo."

Ladybug looks around the room to see what her Miraculous tells her. The first thing her Miraculous highlighted was Chat Noir. Next, she sees is an electrical box mounted to the opposite corner of the catwalk. Then, her Miraculous shows a light grid above her followed by the flashlight, then the camera, and lastly a television screen.

"I have a plan." Ladybug whispers in Chat Noir's ear.

"I like that plan. That's a good plan."

"Can you stop stalling?"

"Okay, Cataclysm!" And with that, Chat Noir activates his Cataclysm.

He runs to the opposite corner of the catwalk. By now, more people have come up from the ladders. They try to get Chat Noir, but he dodges their attacks. As he crosses the catwalk, Ladybug latches her yo-yo to the light grid above her putting her dead center over Medusa.

"Aren't you afraid you're going to fall, Ladybug?" Medusa yells.

"I won't fall for that Medusa. I won't look you in the eye."

"Hmph. Whatever. I'll get your Miraculous soon enough. You can't hang up there forever."

"I won't need to." And the lights go off. "What's going on?"

"I just turned off the lights with my Cataclysm." Chat Noir says smugly. "You know, what I like most about this plan is that I get to use my night vision." The hoard stumbles trying to find Chat Noir, but he easily dodges them and jumps down to the main news room.

Ladybug also jumps down and lands behind Medusa. She grabs Medusa and locks her arms.

"Lights ready!" Ladybug yells.

Chat Noir makes his way to the camera. "Camera ready, M'Lady."

"And action!" Ladybug shines the light onto Medusa and forces her to look at the screen. Medusa sees herself and like the rest of her victims, falls in love.

"Oh, my god, you gorgeous thing you!" Medusa yells as she runs to the screen. Ladybug grabs the tiara off Medusa's head and snaps it in half. An akuma flutters out, and Dutchess Medusa turns back into Chloe.

"No more evil doing for you, little akuma." Ladybug catches the akuma, then she taps on the yo-yo letting a white butterfly fly out. "Bye, bye, little butterfly." Ladybug throws the flashlight into the air and says, "Miraculous Ladybug!" Thousands of butterflies fly across Paris turning everything back to normal. The lights come back on, and everyone comes to their senses.

"Wha-what happened?" Chloe asks.

Ladybug and Chat Noir bump their fists. "Pound it!" They both say. Ladybug walks to Chloe and offers her a hand.

"You okay, Chloe?" Ladybug asks.

Chloe looks down at the ground remembering what happened before she got akumatized. "No. I got my heart broken today."

Ladybug empathizes with Chloe. "I wish I didn't know what that was like, but unfortunately I do."

Chloe and Chat Noir's eyes bulge. "You!" Chloe yells. "Someone rejected you?!"

"I didn't get rejected, but I also never got the chance to confess. He's dating someone else now."

Chloe grabs Ladybug's hand as if she's latching onto some kind of hope. "Do you still love him?"

"I do." Ladybug's earrings start beeping. "I better get going, but I promise things will get better." She says with a half-hearted smile. Even she's not sure if that's true. "Bug out!" She says as she leaves the building.

Chat Noir's ring also starts beeping, but he doesn't move. He's too stunned. How can anyone reject Ladybug. How stupid can a person be?!

Chat Noir's ring continues beeping. "Uh, Chat Noir." Chloe shakes him out of his trance.

"Huh? What?"

"Your ring?" Chloe points to Chat Noir's Miraculous.

"Oh, right. See ya, and I hope everything gets better." He says as he races to leave the building.

* * *

Ladybug didn't have much time to exit the building, so she opted to detransform in a nearby supply closet. She hurries in to detransform.

"Tikki, spots off." Ladybug turns back into Marinette, and Tikki comes flying out of her earrings. She catches Tikki and offers her a macaron from her side bag. "Good job, Tikki."

"You too, Marinette."

Marinette droops and sighs heavily. "And now I need to figure out that other problem. Ugh, can this situation be any more stressful?"

"Marinette?" A familiar male voice calls.

Marinette and Tikki jump. Their nerves tingled as they slowly turn hoping that the voice was just their imagination, but it wasn't. Standing behind Marinette is Luka Couffaine.

"Wha-wha-what are yooooouuu –" Marinette is in too much shock to finish her sentence.

"I was brought in by Rose." Luka explains. "She got seduced by Medusa, then caught me and brought me here. But then, when Ladybug and Chat Noir showed up, so she went to chase after them, and I escaped and hid here. I didn't expect to find you - "

"The same thing happened to me!" Marinette shouts. Her face stiffens and she forces a grin. "The same darn thing! And I came to hide here, too! What a coincidence! Right!"

"Marinette, I know you're Ladybug."

"What! Me! That's nonsense!"

"I saw you come in here as Ladybug, and I saw her detransformed into you."

"I-I-I. That, that, that. Um. Ah! Ah, um … never mind. You got me. I'm Ladybug." Her shoulders slump and her arms dangle. "Just please, don't tell anyone my identity. I don't want Hawkmoth targeting anyone important to me."

"Your secret's safe with me, Marinette."

"Thank you, Luka." Gratitude overwhelms Marinette, and she straightens up a little more.

"It actually makes a lot of sense now that I think about it. I've always thought the both of you are incredibly fierce, but I guess Ladybug would need your level of compassion to save the day as often as she does."

"What are you talking about? I'm nothing like my alter ego."

Tikki flies in between them. "Of course, you are, Marinette. I keep telling you that you are Ladybug even without your Miraculous."

"Is this your kwami?" Luka asks.

"I'm Tikki. Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you." Luka holds out his pinky, and Tikki shakes it. "So, you must know Sass?"

"Yes. We are good friends." Tikki says proudly.

"That's good. I hope he's doing fine."

"Him and the other kwamis are safe. You have nothing to worry."

Marinette smiles softly. If anyone were to discover her identity, she's glad it was Luka. Then she remembered someone else might discover her identity. She groans from the stress.

"Is something wrong?" Luka asks.

"I just remembered that Adrien is catching on to my identity. I don't know what to do!"

"Maybe I can help."

* * *

The next day, Adrien's at the park working on a photoshoot and sees Luka passing by.

"Excuse me. Do you mind if we take a short break? My friend's here." They agree to take a break, and Adrien jogs to talk to Luka. "Hey Luka, what brings you here."

"I'm waiting for Marinette. She wanted to buy the material for Kitty Section's new costumes, and I told her I'd accompany her."

"That's great! Marinette's a good designer."

"She's amazing. By the way, I've how did that thing go with Chloe?"

"Oh, yeah. That. Well…"

* * *

Earlier that morning, Adrien finds Chloe waiting for him in front of the school. She leans against the cement railing with her arms crossed looking down with a dejected expression. Adrien gets out of the car and greets her.

"Hey Chloe."

"H-hi." She stammers. "I need to talk to you."

"If it's about –"

"Please let me talk. I need to say this." Adrien's shocked by Chloe's forwardness in this situation but lets her continue. "Adrien, I like you."

Adrien blushes. He did not think she'd be so direct. "I'm sorry, Chloe, but I'm already dating someone."

"I know, Kagami. But I talked to Ladybug yesterday. After the whole akuma thing? And she said she never got the chance to confess to the person she loves. And I thought about it, and I don't want to not get that chance to confess. So, I'm doing it now. Adrien Agreste, I like you." Chloe turns around sighs down to her knees. "Oh my god! This would be so much easier to accept if I knew you actually liked her."

"Wha-at? I like Kagami." Adrien's eyes shift to the side.

"Right." Chloe looks over her shoulder before she walks confidently into the classroom. She holds her head high hoping the fake confidence will help her get through the day.

* * *

"Woah." Luka says. "Did she seem fine."

Adrien scratches his head. "I think so. Chloe's stronger than she looks."

"And are you fine?"

"It wasn't fun rejecting someone, but I'm okay."

"I'm sure this will all blow past." Luka gets distracted from the conversation when his phone vibrates. "Excuse me."

"Hey Luka!" Marinette pants. She's on video call with him, and the video of her looks like she's running. "I'll be a bit late, but I'm almost there."

"Don't worry about it. I'm here with Adrien." Luka pulls Adrien into the frame.

"Hi Adrien."

"Hi Marinette." Says Adrien. Out of the corner of Adrien's eye, he sees Ladybug jumping from building to building. She gets to the park and starts running. As she passes by, she waves to everyone including Adrien and Luka. She then yo-yos to another building and swings away.

Adrien jerks his head towards Luka's phone. Marinette's still on the line.

"So, I'll be there soon, okay?" Marinette says.

"Don't worry, but thanks for the heads up." Luka ends the call.

Adrien looks towards the direction where Ladybug disappeared. "That was Ladybug." Says Adrien.

"Yeah. It's rare to see her when there's nothing's going on."

"But, Ladybug, and –" Adrien looks at Luka's phone. If Marinette and Ladybug are the same person, then how could Luka have a call with Marinette while Ladybug is running around Paris?

"Hey!" Marinette runs towards Luka and Adrien in the opposite direction from where Ladybug left. Luka waves at Marinette, but Adrien is still too shocked to respond. "Sorry I kept you waiting."

"Don't worry. Adrien kept me company."

"Hey Adrien." Marinette greets.

Adrien recovers from the shock. "Hey Marinette."

"Adrien! We should get back to shooting." The photographer yells.

"Okay!" Adrien replies. "I should get back." Adrien tells Marinette and Luka.

"Bye!" Both Marinette and Luka wave before they leave. When they got a few feet away from Adrien's set, they start to whisper.

"Did it go well?" Marinette asks.

"Smoothly. He didn't expect it was a prerecorded."

"Oh, thank god! I was so worried." Marinette jumps up to hug Luka. "You have no idea how relieved I am. Thank you so much!"

"No problem." Luka blushes.

On the other side of the park, Adrien watches Marinette and Luka hug. He smiles tenderly, grateful for the people he has in his life. All he wants for them is to be happy no matter what.

"Adrien! Try turning the other way." The photographer says.

"Okay!" Adrien does what the photographer says. He thinks back to seeing Ladybug and Marinette at the same time. He was so certain that Ladybug was Marinette. Who else can Ladybug be? The disappointment shows on his face.

"Adrien, can you try looking happier?" The photographer asks.

"Sorry." Adrien smiles and refocuses on his modeling. For now, he forgets about Ladybug's identity, but he doesn't need to be patient for long. Both of their identities will be revealed the next time an akuma attacks.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Was this too long? I'm worried that it was. **

**Also, I want to upload the next chapter later today because it's themed Friday the 13th. Hopefully I can make it on time!**


	3. Chapter 3

Friday the 13th

"Happy Friday the 13th!" Plagg shouts. He zips around Adrien's room before phasing into the cheese cabinet to pull out his camembert.

"Why are you happy about Friday the 13th? Isn't that a bad thing?" Adrien asks.

"What a silly child. You have a lot to learn about being paired with the kwami of destruction and bad luck." Plagg inhales the camembert. "So, you know how Friday the 13th is a day of bad luck, right?"

"That's just a superstition."

"Lies! Friday the 13th does bring bad luck, but it affects people differently. Let me explain." Plagg clears his throat. "So, energy is split into two types. Positive and negative, also known as good and bad. Each person has a different ratio of good and bad energy that changes based on your actions and the types of people you interact with. For example, if you do a good thing, it is more likely that good things will happen to you, but if you do something bad, bad things are more likely to happen."

"Like karma. I can believe that."

"Right. But also, if you talk to someone or even touch someone with bad energy, their bad energy will drain into you, and your good energy will drain into them. Basically, the energies will try to balance out. That's why whenever you're around happy people, some of their good energy gets transferred to you, and you feel happy. But, if you're around someone who's always angry, you usually leave with some of their anger, which is their bad energy."

"Got it."

"But humans aren't the only ones that are affected by good and bad energy. It's seen all over the world, and it flows in cycles. That's why you have some bad days and some good days.

"Uhuh."

"And every Friday the 13th, not only does the world have the most bad energy, it siphons into people at a very fast rate, which is why Friday the 13th is known for having bad luck!

"But I don't always feel like a have bad luck on Friday the 13th."

"You didn't let me finish. On Friday the 13th, there's a lot of bad luck, and it gets into your system very quickly. But, when you already have a lot of bad luck, you don't notice it as much, so they often dismiss it. And there are some people who aren't influenced by the energy transfers that much. It all depends.

"But back to my main point. As the kwami of bad luck, I naturally have a ton of it, so the world doesn't need to give me any more bad luck. Instead, I get good luck! And as my Miraculous holder, you get a whapping share of that luck. So, today is our luck day! Happy Friday the 13th!"

"Sure, Plagg. Sure." Adrien shakes his head in disbelief.

"Just watch out for Ladybug. She's the opposite, and any interaction with her will limit your good luck and definitely don't touch her! That will zero out the good and bad luck."

"So, if I have a lot of good luck today, then Ladybug – "

"It will be the unluckiest day of her life."

* * *

On the other side of Paris, Marinette's curled up in her bed sound asleep. Tikki hovers over her with a worried look until a violent knocking wakes up Marinette.

"Marinette!" Her mom slams the door open. Half of her body is in Marinette's room while the other half is standing on the attic steps below. "Why are you still sleeping! You're already late for school!"

"Wha?" Marinette says sleepily. "It's only – " She grabs her alarm clock. "Nine o'clock!" Marinette scrambles out of bed and struggles to get her clothes on. "How did this happen?!"

"I don't know, but you better get out of bed and on your way to school! You already have so many tardies and abscesses." Her mom leaves and closes the door.

"This is a disaster! Why didn't my alarm go off? I always set it the night before."

"That's because I turned it off." Tikki says shyly.

Marinette freezes. "Why did you do that?! Now I'm late for school."

"Marinette, I don't think you should go to school today. You're late anyway, so why not stay at home."

"You know I can't skip school, and why would you turn off my alarm."

"Because you can't go to school, Marinette. Not today. It's Friday the 13th!"

"Tikki, that's just superstitious. Now where's my shoe?"

"No, it's not! And it's even worse since you're Ladybug."

"Tikki, I don't know what you're talking about, but I need to find my – bweh!" Marinette trips on her shoe and falls, bruising her knee. "Ouch."

"See!" Tikki points to her bruise.

"That's just a coincidence. And I found my shoe." Marinette puts it on. "See Tikki. I don't have bad luck, but if it makes you feel better, I'll be extra careful today."

"Okay." Tikki pouts and flouts after Marinette.

* * *

At the Agreste mansion, Adrien and Natalie wait in the driveway for The Gorilla to fix the Agreste's sedan. Adrien watches as The Gorilla works on the hood of their car, and Natallie impatiently types on her iPad.

"At this rate, you'll only have an hour at school before you need to leave for your next modeling shoot." Natalie says. "Wait here. I'll be back." Natalie head back into the mansion.

"Hey!" Plagg whispers to Adrien. He peeks out of Adrien's overshirt, so The Gorilla doesn't notice. "You might not get to go to school!"

"I actually like school, so this proves that today isn't my lucky day."

"Nonsense! You got to have breakfast with your father for a whole hour."

"It was weird that his video conference cancelled last minute."

"And, the chef ran out of that healthy, dairy free cheese and served camembert instead!" Plagg's eyes twinkle, but Adrien glares in annoyance.

"Only you would think that's lucky."

Natalie comes back with three bottles of water and gives one to Adrien. "How are we doing on the car?" Natalie asks. The Gorilla slams the hood and gives a thumbs up. "Great. Let's hurry." They get in their seats and drive off.

* * *

On the way to school, Marinette accidentally trips on the stairs, bums her bag on her dad's batter making it spill all over the floor, has a cat crash land on her head, trips again but this time on nothing, realizes she's missing her wallet and has to go back home, falls up the stairs, misses the bus, slips on a crack, and is now about to be splashed with water by a speeding sedan.

"Why is there a puddle here? It hasn't rained in weeks!"

Tikki opens Marinette's purse and looks up. "That's because it's Friday the 13th."

"Bleh. I think some got in my mouth."

The speeding sedan screeches to a stop, and Adrien comes out from the back. "Marinette? Is that you? I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"A-a-adrien!" Marinette blushes, embarrassed that Adrien has to see her with water all over her. "I-I'm bad. I mean you're bad. No! You're fine. But not that fine! I mean! Not fine like that. I mean –"

Bird poop lands on Marinette's forehead.

Everything goes silent. All she can feel is the sticky splatter that slowly slides down forehead. She looks at Adrien and sees him focusing on one spot just above her eyes.

Marinette screams. Everyone within the vicinity stares at her. "This is a disaster! Why is everything going horribly wrong! First my alarm doesn't go off, then I trip on my shoe, then I spill my dad's batter, then I –" Marinette paces as she lists the things that went wrong all day. Her facial expressions change with each emotion she expresses, and her hands fly around as she animates the story. Adrien can't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Marinette eyes Adrien.

"I've just never seen you like this before." Adrien wipes a tear from his eye.

"Are you crying?!" Marinette can't believe what's happening. "Is my distress that funny?"

"No, but this is." Adrien mocks how Marinette was acting and gets her to laugh.

"Okay, maybe I'm overreacting a little."

"No, you're not. It sounds like you've had it rough today." Adrien looks around the street. "Why don't you get cleaned up in the store over there? I'll follow you and afterwards, I can give you a ride."

"Thanks, Adrien." Adrien knocks on Natalie's door before accompanying Marinette.

They go into the store, and Marinette goes into the bathroom while Adrien waits outside. In the bathroom, Marinette tries to find paper towels for to clean off with, but they're all out. She checks the stalls for some toilet paper, but they're also all out.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Marinette groans.

Tikki flies out of her pouch. "I told you, Marinette. It's Friday the 13th. You should have stayed home."

"At this rate, I'm kind of over it. I don't think today can get any worse." Marinette peeks her head out of the bathroom. "Hey, Adrien. Can you check the boys stall and find some paper towels? They're all out in here."

"Bad luck's hitting you hard, huh?"

"You too if you're late to school like me."

"Actually, I think that makes me lucky. I got to see you and help you out." Adrien says it so casually that he leaves Marinette blushing.

"Maybe today's not so bad after all." Adrien comes back from the boy's bathroom and hands Marinette the paper towels. "Thank you."

"No problem."

Marinette goes back in and tries to wet the towels, but no water comes out of the faucet. "You've got to be kidding me!" She asks Adrien to give her a wet sheet, and he does. After a few minutes, she manages to wipe off the bird poop and somewhat dry off from the splashing puddle. The both leave the store and head to Adrien's car.

* * *

Natalie gets out of the car to make a phone call. "Hello, sir. No, we haven't dropped Adrien off at school yet. He ran into a friend, that Marinette girl. The one Lila Rossi said was a bad influence." Natalie listens for the reply. "I understand, sir." She hangs up in time for Adrien and Marinette to return.

Adrien puts his hand on Marinette's back and reaches for the car door, but Natalie blocks Adrien from opening it.

"I just got off the phone with your father, and you are forbidden to hang out with this girl."

"What why?" Adrien's hand is still on Marinette's back.

"She's a bad influence on you."

Marinette's face goes pale.

"How? She's a great girl and a really good friend." Adrien argues.

Marinette doesn't care if Adrien calls her a friend anymore. She's just happy he's defending her.

"She's late for school and is making you late as well. That's reason enough." Natalie turns to Marinette. "I'm sorry, Marinette, but you'll have to find another way to school. Adrien can no longer associate with you." Natalie grabs Adrien's hand, but he yanks it away.

"I refuse to stop being friends with her!" He grabs Marinette's arm and runs away.

"Adrien!" Natalie calls out. "Unbelievable." She gets back into the car. "Follow them and don't let Adrien escape. She tells The Gorilla. The Gorilla swerves towards the direction Adrien ran and steps on the gas.

Adrien and Marinette run hand-in-hand. At the first alleyway, they turn in and run down the dark corridor. They weave through the alleys until they wander into the bad part of Paris.

"I think it's safe to say we lost them." Adrien says.

"Yeah."

Rain starts pouring down. They let go of each other's hand to use their bags as a shield from the rain.

Marinette points to a shaggy building with a cover over its doorway. "Let's stay under there before the rain lets up."

"Good idea."

They run to shelter and out of the rain.

"And just when I got dry." Marinette says.

"I guess we're both having unlucky days after all." Adrien jokes, but Marinette doesn't laugh. Her face droops down and looks off to the side deep in thought. "What's wrong."

"Am I really a bad influence?" Marinette asks. Her mind spirals thinking of all the wrong she has caused. The pressure from the day combined with what Natalie said makes her start to cry.

* * *

Hawkmoth opens his windowpane to see a raining Paris. "Poor, Marinette. So much bad has happened today. If only there was a way to make everyone feel how you feel" A white butterfly lands on Hawkmoth's palm, and he cups it turning it into an akuma. "Fly away, my little akuma, and evilize her!"

* * *

The rain pelts Paris while Marinette and Adrien stay under the shelter of the beat-up building. Marinette continues to sob into her palms and has yet to look up. It breaks Adrien's heart to see her like that. He grabs her hands and pulls it to his chest.

"Stop talking about my friend like that!" Adrien yells. Marinette didn't expect Adrien's response, and it gets her to stop crying. "Of course, you're not a bad influence on me. Do you have any idea how much you inspire me?"

Adrien brings Marinette's hands down but still holds them gently. He looks at their connected hands. He's too embarrassed to look her in the eyes with what he's about to say. "You know the first day I came to school, you were surrounded by so many friends that I wanted to get to know you too. But couldn't because you thought I put the gum in your seat. And then the misunderstanding cleared, and we became friends. And I was so, so happy. And then I got to know you more and realized you're even more amazing then I thought. You inspire me to do my best, and I can't imagine not being with you."

The akuma reached Marinette's shoulders but turns away. The negative feelings have subsided.

"No! I was so close!" Hawkmoth yells.

Adrien peaks at Marinette and sees her face fully flushed. "Sorry. Was that weird?" He asks.

"No, no. That's very flattering. Thank you." Their hands let go, and they watch the rain beat down and cars pass by.

"Hey look!" Marinette points at a small black kitten across the street. "He's so cute!" She squeals. Adrien looks tenderly at her. He's so thankful that she seems to be doing better.

The little kitten meows as if it were distressed. A more mature meow is heard, but on their side of the street. Adrien and Marinette look over and see an adult black cat with two kittens. The adult cat cries for the other cat.

"It's probably her baby." Marinette says.

There's an unusual lull in the streets with no cars passing. The small kitten tries to run through the rain when a car speeds through.

"No!" Marinette instinctively runs to save the kitten. She jumps in front of the car, and it swerves hitting its rear on a lamp post.

"You stupid girl! What do you think you are doing running in the middle of the street!"

"You almost ran over this kitten!"

"And you caused an accident! Look at my car! Who are your parents? They're paying for the damages."

"You shouldn't have been speeding in the streets."

"What's going on?" Adrien runs to the scene with his bag over his head protecting him from the rain.

The man looks at Adrien. "Is this your girlfriend."

"No, sir."

"Good! She's crazy. Stay away from her."  
"Who are you to say that?!" Adrien snaps.

The man turns back to Marinette. "You are so stupid! It's unbelievable! Your parents must be so disappointed. Who do you think you are? A superhero?" The man continues to berate her with insults, and Marinette brings the kitten tighter and tighter to her chest. She doesn't notice she's squeezing it so tight until the little kitten scratch her hand. Marinette releases the kitten to cup her hand, and the kitten jumps out.

"Hah! The kitten doesn't even appreciate you. How pitiful!" The man chides.

"Will you just shut up?!" Adrien yells.

Marinette looks at the scratch and sees a little blood seep out.

"Marinette, are you okay?" Adrien reaches out his hand but recoils it when he sees an akuma fly near Marinette's purse. "Marinette!" Adrien desperately shouts, but he's too late.

"Jinx, I am Hawkmoth. I give you the power to bring bad luck to those who deserve it. All I ask is that you bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses."

"N-no." Marinette struggles to not give in to Hawkmoth.

"That's right Marinette! Don't let Hawkmoth get to you!"

A hand jerks Adrien's shoulder back. "Boy, you need to go! This girl's bad news that even Hawkmoth got to her. Just leave and thank me later!" The man sprints away leaving the two behind.

After hearing what the man said, Marinette accepted Hawkmoth's power. "I'll spread the bad luck everywhere." Purple smog bubbles out of Marinette turning her into Jinx.

Jinx gets up from the ground revealing her outfit. A small leather bag rests at her waist over her black leather jumpsuit. Her eyelashes have grown longer, and color she has on her outfit are her deep red lips and long red nails.

The rain stops and the sun comes up. Jinx cocks a smile and pulls a small rubber ball from her purse.

One of Adrien's eyebrows quirks up. "What are you going to do with that?"

Jinx bounces the ball, and it jumps breaking every streetlamp, and window in the area. It's still going when Jinx pulls out a yo-yo and swings away.

Adrien looks even more confused. "A yo-yo? Like Ladybug?"

Plagg flies out of his overshirt. "Was that Marinette?" Plagg asks.

"Yeah."

"Then we've got a biiiiiiig problem."

"I'm worried about her too, but with the help of Ladybug, it's nothing we can't handle." Adrien smirks, but Plagg still looks worried.

"Adrien!" He turns to the voice and sees a red kwami fly towards him.

"You're Tikki, right? Why aren't you with Ladybug."

"Adrien, it's time you know the truth. Ladybug's been akumatized!"

Adrien's eyes widen. He looks off at the direction Jinx left. Buildings crumble in one area and fire burns another. Paris screams, and Adrien's heart sinks.

* * *

**A/N: I can't believe I managed to upload two chapters in one day! Adrien found out Marinette's Ladybug, so it's time for me to take a little break. (Just kidding.) I'm going to work no a one-shot based on the last episode, Ladybug. I'll work on the next chapter after I'm finished with the one-shot.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jinx

Jinx pulls a yo-yo out of her purse and swings towards the center of Paris. Tikki stays with Jinx to try and talk sense into her.

"Marinette, snap out of it!" Tikki yells.

"I'm not Marinette anymore, Tikki! And I'm definitely no longer Ladybug. I'm Jinx!"

Hawkmoth speaks to Jinx telepathically. "Is that a kwami? Is that Ladybug's kwami?"

"That's right, Hawkmoth. And I have Ladybug's Miraculous. Ladybug won't bother us this time."

"Well isn't today my lucky day."

Jinx lands on the side of a busy Paris street and pulls out a magnifying glass from her bag. She holds it over the paved road and uses the sunlight to melt it into tar. People scream while they run out of their cars.

"Oh dear, oh dear." Tikki mutters. She flies away. "I have to find Chat Noir!"

* * *

Tikki finds Adrien near where Marinette first got akumatized.

"Adrien!" Tikki calls out.

Adrien is startled when Tikki appears. "You're Tikki, right? Why aren't you with Ladybug?" An explosion goes off. Adrien and the kwamis look up and see a building crumble in the distance. A black figure pops up and yo-yos to another building.

Adrien begins to make sense of everything. Ladybug's kwami appearing. The akumatized Marinette uses a yo-yo as her weapon.

"Adrien, it's time you know the truth." Tikki says. "Ladybug's been akumatized!"

Adrien stares at the destruction being created. He takes it all in. "Marinette is Ladybug." He says.

"And she's been akumatized! What are we going to do?"

This is a nightmare. For the first time, Chat Noir will have to save Paris without Ladybug. Adrien calms down. He looks at both kwamis and says, "We have to save her."

"But how?" Plagg pleads. There is another explosion followed by a fire. More people panic and scream for Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Adrien says, "Tikki, go find Master Fu. If we're going against Ladybug, she'll be our strongest opponent yet. We'll need Rena Rouge and Carapace, but after you find them, fly back immediately. After we deakumatize Marinette, she needs to become Ladybug to de-evilize it. For now, I'll buy you some time as Chat Noir."

"Be careful." Tikki says. She flies away."

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien yells. He transforms into Chat Noir and goes to find his lady.

* * *

"Don't be bemused. It's just the news. I'm Nadja Chamack reporting to you live in the center of a new akuma attack. It is unclear who exactly Hawkmoth's new victim is, but she does seem to be a young girl going by the name of Jinx wrecking bad luck wherever she goes. Ladybug and Chat Noir has not arrived yet, but I am sure it is only a matter of – "

A loud shriek blasts through the streets. Nadja and her camera man cup their ears and curl on the ground.

"I'm glad I got your attention." The blast stops. Nadja and her camera man turn their heads up to see Jinx standing above them. Jinx puts away a large speaker back into her black bag. "Mind if I borrow your camera for a second, Nadja? It won't take long. I'll even answer some of the questions you asked!"

Jinx stands in front of the camera. The camera man jumps up and checks that the camera is still stable on the tripod.

"So, you wanted to know who is this akumatized victim." Jinx paces back and forth. The camera follows her. "I'm just a girl who had a really unlucky day. And now, all of Paris will have bad luck. It's only fair." Ladybug looks straight into the camera. "Ladybug won't save you today." She pulls out a pair of earrings from her purse. "Because I already have her Miraculous." Jinx smirks as she places it back in her bag. "There's no winning now, Chat Noir! Give me your Miraculous, and your day won't be so unlucky!"

"You're forgetting something, My Lady." Chat Noir stands on top of a nearby building. He leans against his silver pole. "I'm the black cat. I am bad luck. If anything, this only shows that we are meant to be." Chat Noir's smile widens.

Jinx yo-yos towards him.

Nadja scrambles up from the ground. "Hey, are you getting this?"

The cameraman peaks at Nadja. "Somehow. Don't the akuma victims usually try to destroy the equipment?"

Jinx lands on the rooftop where Chat Noir is. "Why'd you call me 'My Lady'?"

"Because you are." Chat Noir spins his pole in front of him. "You're Ladybug, aren't you?"

"Tikki must have told you." He nods. "Well, it doesn't matter now." Jinx pulls out a water bottle and splashes the water on Chat Noir's face.

He's drenched. "My Lady, just because cats hate water, doesn't mean you can defeat me with just that." Chat Noir leans over and shakes himself dry.

"Look below you." Jinx jumps off the building.

Chat Noir feels the roof tiles slip underneath him. She must have loosened the tile glue with her water! Chat Noir flails as he slides off the roof and falls to the ground. Jinx catches him with her yo-yo and reaches for his hand.

"Don't even think about it!" Carapace's shield slices between Jinx and Chat Noir. Jinx retreats and releases Chat Noir from her yo-yo. Rena Rouge and Carapace jump down near Chat Noir.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Rena Rouge says as she and Carapace help Chat Noir up.

"How much do you two know?" Chat Noir asks.

Tikki flutters next to them. "I told these two that Ladybug got her Miraculous stolen and that we need their help to get it back." She says.

Jinx interrupts them. "And how exactly are you going to do that?" She pulls out bubbles and blows several towards the superheroes.

They are stunned. "Why should we be scared of bubbles?" Rena Rouge asks. She pops one, and the soap lands in her eyes. "Ouch, ouch! It stings!"

Carapace comforts her. "Aly- I mean, Rena Rouge. Are you okay?"

"It hurts, it hurts!" She bends over and squeezes her eyes tight trying to get the soap out.

Jinx smirks and uses her yo-yo to swing away.

"Huh?" Rena Rouge shields her eyes as she looks down. She blinks hard, but she notices that her eyes stopped hurting. She stands up. "My eyes are fine."

"Well, close them!" Carapace shouts. "There are still bubbles around."

Rena Rouge pokes another bubble. This time, nothing happens. She pokes some more. "Nothing's happening." She says.

Chat Noir pops some bubbles with her. "Maybe bad luck only strikes when Jinx is around?"

"Dudes! Stop popping the bubbles!" Carapace shouts. "Why am I the only one who cares about the bubbles? I'm the one with goggles on!"

They hear a shatter behind them. They turn and see several shards of roof tile splintered on the ground. Chat Noir picks a piece up.

"This tile is left over from when Jinx splashed water on me."

"If the bad luck stops when Jinx leaves, then the tiles should stop falling." Says Rena Rouge.

"But they didn't." Carapace argues. "So maybe the bubbles and the tile are still dangerous, and there is nothing to read into!"

"Or maybe she can control the bad luck." Says Chat Noir.

Tikki flies over. "But if she can control it, then why doesn't she make everything bad luck all the time?"

Chat Noir bites his lip while he thinks. He remembers when they fought together. She has a complicated way of thinking and is always one step ahead of him. He scratches his head in frustration. Is she trying to send a message? Why would she try to send a message if she's working for Hawkmoth?

"Oh." He realizes.

"What is it, Chat Noir?" Tikki asks.

"Marinette is still in there."

"That's Marinette!" Rena Rouge and Carapace yell.

"No one told us that!" says Carapace.

"And she wants us to defeat her. She's holding herself back. And if we're going to save her, then we'll need a plan."

* * *

Jinx stands under the Eiffel Tower waiting for the heroes to find her. The clouds are overcast, and the streets are empty with the exception of Nadja and her camera man. They are far enough away to film the action but not get caught in it. After previous attempts to capture fights between akuma victims and Ladybug and Chat Noir, they are excited to finally videotape one without their camera getting destroyed.

Hawkmoth speaks to Jinx telepathically. "So, Jinx? What are your plans to get their Miraculous?"

"Just wait and see Hawkmoth. You don't want the fun to get spoiled, do you?"

"Marinette!" Rena Rouge yells.

Jinx turns around and sees the three of them standing on the other side of the Eiffel Tower. "It's Jinx now!"

"Whatever!" yells Carapace.

"Just give it up! You're out numbered!" yells Chat Noir.

Jinx scoffs. "I was outnumbered before. You think that'll stop me now?" She twirls her yo-yo and lunges towards them. She releases her yo-yo to attack, but their images disappear. "A mirage." She smiles, relieved.

Jinx looks up and sees her three friends jump down from the metal bars above. They pin her down. Rena Rouge and Carapace lock down her arms, while Chat Noir stands above her.

Hawkmoth contacts Jinx. "You did this on purpose! I should have known not to trust Ladybug!"

"It's over, Jinx." Chat Noir says. "Cata-"

"Ahhh!" Jinx shrieks as Hawkmoth tortures her with his telepathic powers.

Tikki panics. "Marinette!" Everyone is concerned.

Hawkmoth speaks to Jinx. "Get me their Miraculous, or else."

"Yes, Hawkmoth." Jinx breaks away from their grasp and kicks Chat Noir in the chest. She pulls out a thin whistle from her pouch and blows on it, but no sound comes out. Instead, a soft rumble surrounds them as wild dogs charge toward the whistle.

They retreat up the Eiffel Tower and Jinx follows them. Tikki trails behind to not get involved with the fight. When they get to the second story, the three heroes fight Jinx. With three against one, it should be easy to defeat Jinx, but she is too powerful of an opponent. And they are running on a time limit. At for Rena Rouge.

Rena Rouge's timer is on her second to last warning. "I'm about to transform back!"

"What are we going to do?" Carapace panics. A yo-yo hits his face, and he falls to the floor.

Jinx smirks, but then buckles to the floor. "Ah, ah." She whines.

"Chat Noir! Now!" Rena Rouge yells.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir runs to Jinx's bag, but Jinx recovers too quickly. She catches Chat Noir by the arm holding his Cataclysm and judo flips him.

"Gah!" Chat Noir yells. "I thought I had her."

"Oh, Kitty. You know I'm better than you."

Chat Noir knows that she's right. But, he also knows that Marinette is still in there and trying to hold back.

"Guys, I have an idea!" He yells. "Tikki, I want you to be as close to me as possible."

"Okay." She flies towards him.

"Carapace, get Rena Rouge out of here and put a shelter around me and Jinx."

Rena Rouge screams. "What! No w-" Carapace grabs Rena Rouge around the waist and leaps to the edge of the Eiffel.

"Shelter!" A large green dome surrounds Chat Noir and Jinx.

"You better know what you're doing, Cat!" Rena Rouge yells.

"I don't." Chat Noir mutters to himself. He takes a deep breath.

Jinx taunts him. "What's your plan now, Kitty? Fighting in a group is not your style? You wanna go one-on-one?" She twirls her yo-yo behind her, ready to attack.

"I'd rather not fight at all." Chat Noir throws his stick to the edge.

"What's he doing!" Carapace yells.

Chat Noir walks towards Jinx. "Marinette, you're Ladybug. You're the strongest person I know."

Carapace and Rena Rouge are stunned. "Wait, she's Ladybug?" Carapace says.

"I didn't know that." Rena Rouge comments.

Chat Noir continues walking towards Jinx. "We're Ladybug and Chat Noir. We're supposed to save Paris! Not work for Hawkmoth."

"And?" Jinx tenses. Her yo-yo spins faster.

"And I know you don't want to do this." Chat Noir reasons.

Jinx's legs stiffen. As if she is unsure about her next action.

Hawkmoth interrupts. "What are you doing Jinx! He's right there! Just get his Miraculous!"

Jinx keels to the floor.

"Marinette! If anyone can break Hawkmoth's power, it's you!"

Tikki helps Chat Noir. "He's right, Marinette. There's a reason why you're Ladybug. You can fight it!"

"Come on, Marinette!" yells Rena Rouge.

"Snap out of it, dude!" Carapace also encourages.

Jinx mutters to herself. "I can do it. I can do it. I can – Ah!" More pain surges through Jinx's body.

"We're friends, Marinette. Not only as Chat Noir, but also in real life."

Jinx is distracted by that last statement. "Huh?"

"Claws in." Chat Noir says. He transforms back into Adrien. "We're friends, Marinette. That's how I know you're strong enough to fight through this."

"Adrien?" Jinx's mouth stumbles. "Yo-you're Chat Noir? Why would you reveal – "

On the other side of the telepathic connection, Hawkmoth is too stunned to speak. He thought he confirmed that his son is not Chat Noir. How is this possible?

Jinx also wonders how Adrien could be Chat Noir, but more than that, she wonders why he would reveal his secret identity? Now? Perhaps that's how much he cares about her.

Then he can't let him down! She pulls a pair of sewing scissors from her pouch and slices a tear large enough for the akuma to flutter out.

Purple bubbles surround Marinette as she detransforms back into her civilian self. The first one to approach her is Tikki.

"Marinette!" She yells with relief.

"Tikki? What happened?" Marinette holds her head.

Adrien walks up to her. "You were akumatized."

"What? Me? Bu-but –"

Tikki interrupts. "There's no time for that! You need to capture the akuma before it tries to akumatize you again!"

Marinette's eyes widen. "Tikki!" She grabs the kwami and turns her back to Adrien. "What are you doing? Adrien's right there." She whispers harsly to Tikki.

"I know you're Ladybug." Adrien says.

Marinette slowly turns back around. Her body stiffens tighter each second.

Adrien continues. "You better hurry and transform. I don't know how much longer Carapace has."

"Plenty of time!" He yells from the sidelines.

Still confused, Marinette glance from Adrien, to Tikki, to Rena Rouge and Carapace, and to the akuma. Something big just happened, but there's no time for that. She needs to do her job.

She faces Tikki. "Tikki, spots on!" Marinette yells and transforms into Ladybug. Everyone is in awe. Ladybug has finally returned.

"No more evil doing for you little akuma." Ladybug prepares her yo-yo to capture the akuma. "Time to de-evilize!" She swings the yo-yo and catches it. "Gotcha! Bye, bye little butterfly." The akuma turns white and flies away. Carapace lifts his barrier.

Ladybug looks out at Paris and sees the destruction her akumatized self has caused. "I did all of that?"

"And you need to fix all of that." Says Adrien.

"But, I don't have anything to use for the Miraculous Ladybug."

"Can't you conjure something up randomly?"

Ladybug's face looks unsure. "I guess I'll have to." She throws her yo-yo up. "Lucky charm!"

Ladybug studies the object she summoned. It is a music box similar to the one Master Fu has. "Oh no." She whispers.

"What's wrong?" Asks Adrien.

"This music box. This means –"

"Once you bring Paris back to normal, you must return the Miraculous back to me." Ladybug and Adrien turn and see Master Fu standing behind them. They look around but can't find Rena Rouge or Carapace. "Paris knows both of your identities." He points to Nadja and her cameraman down below. "Now that your identities are revealed, it is too dangerous for the both you to be Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"Where's Rena Rouge and Carapace?" Asks Adrien.

"There jobs are done, so I have already taken their Miraculouses."

"What do you mean by both Ladybug _and_ Chat Noir?" Ladybug asks.

Plagg appears next to Adrien. "Oh yeah. I guess you missed that part."

Ladybug screams and falls over backwards.

"Are you okay?" Adrien holds his hand out to Ladybug, but she doesn't pick it up. Instead, she mumbles to herself.

"If Adrien is Chat Noir, then Chat Noir is Adrien. And if Chat Noir is Adrien, then Adrien is Chat Noir. And if Adrien is Chat Noir –"

"Ladybug?" Adrien lightly shakes her.

"Sorry." She gets up. "I'm just shocked."

Master Fu interrupts. "That is normal. You have just been akumatized. But, it is very important that you use your Miraculous Ladybug and return Paris to back normal. Then, you will give me your Miraculouses."

Adrien argues back. "But we didn't do anything wrong! We're a good team! You can't find a better Ladybug and Chat Noir than the two of us!"

Ladybug grabs Adrien's arm. "Master Fu is right."

"But –"

"Paris knows our identities. It's the right thing to do."

Adrien calms down. He knows that Ladybug is right. He loves that she is brave enough to do the right thing. He smiles and holds out his hand. "Will you do us the honors one last time?"

Ladybug smiles back. A stray tear slides down her cheek. She throws the music box in the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She yells. The ladybugs zoom around Paris and fix the destruction. Everything returns to normal.

For one last time, Ladybug and Adrien hold up their fist. "Pound it." They both say.

"Spots off." Ladybug says. She transforms back into Marinette.

Adrien and Marinette take off their Miraculouses and return it to Master Fu.

"Thank you." Master Fu says. "You two were the best Ladybug and Chat Noir there has ever been and will ever be for a long time."

"Thank you for giving us this opportunity." Marinette says.

A strong wind blows. Marinette and Adrien shield their eyes, and when they open, Master Fu is gone.

* * *

In Hawkmoth's tower, Hawkmoth is still shocked about the identity of Chat Noir. But he also knows Ladybug's identity and can use this information to help him. He smiles wide. Even if the master took back their Miraculouses, Hawkmoth can still use this new-found knowledge to his advantage.

"Nathalie." Hawkmoth calls out. "What was the name of that girl again? The one I just akumatized."

"Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She is a classmate of Adrien's."

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng. We will meet again shortly."

* * *

**A/N:**

**I'm sorry for any misspellings or grammar errors. You'd think after so long, it'd be perfect, but I actually wrote this in two days and just wanted to get it up.**

**I have been stuck working on another piece and was really stubborn about not uploading this until that one was finished. Unfortunately, I just got so stuck that I kind of forgot how to write (I know that sounds weird, but I felt that my style got so weird). I was really hard on myself and didn't know what to do. I have since decided to let that piece go and try my best to have fun again. I remembered that this was pretty fun to write, so I'm going to try to continue having fun with it. I definitely have the time now. :) **

**In addition to this MLB fic, I'm going to start a Hey Arnold! fanfic. I doubt the readers will cross-over since the two cartoons are so different, but I like it, and I've had this idea for a while and want to try it.**

**I hope everyone is staying safe during these trying times. I hope you enjoyed reading this fic, and please WASH YOUR HANDS! (For those of you reading this in the future, we are currently in the Corona Era.)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Red Birds

Marinette and Adrien didn't know how to speak to each other. During the elevator ride down the Eiffel Tower, they just stood there. Wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say. Marinette's hands fidget. Adrien rubs the side of his arm. Neither look at each other.

They reach the bottom, somewhat relieved, only to have a microphone shoved in their face by Nadja. A crowd trickles in wanting to meet Ladybug and Chat Noir. Marinette and Adrien don't know what to do until the Agrest car drives up. Adrien grabs Marientte's hand and pulls her towards it. They get in, and the Gorilla speeds away. The awkward silence resumes.

Adrien rubs the back of his neck. How does he talk to his friend? He says the only thing he can think of. "We can drop you at your house if you want."

"Okay."

They arrive at Marinette's shortly after. She gets out of the car, but before she gets out, she says, "Adrien?"

"Yeah?"

Marinette folds her hands in front of her chest and taps the ends of her thumbs together. She struggles to make eye contact. "Thank you. For everything."

Adrien smiles. "Same goes for you. Thank you for everything." A simple 'thank you,' but they both know what it means. Thank you for being the best partner. A good friend. For giving all of your trust. After fighting dangerous villains and saving Paris more times than they can count, what more needs to be said?

Marinette slams the door and turns to the bakery. She needs to mentally prepare herself for the toughest villain yet.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell us anything?!" Marinette's mom scolds.

"Mom, you know I couldn't."

Marinette sits on the couch in their living room. Both of her parents are livid that she lied to them all this time. Marinette's mom paces around the room while her dad looms over Marinette. His arms are crossed and his face scowls.

"You can get seriously hurt!" Her mom yells.

"Mom,"

"Your mother's right. I don't know how you got your Miraculous, but you must return them! Find a new Ladybug. Not my daughter!"

"I have already given them up!" Marinette hugs her knees and buries her face into her legs.

Her parents watch their daughter. Marinette's mom stops pacing, and her dad's arms go limp. They both rush to sit by their daughter's sides. Her dad rubs Marinette's back while her mom holds her hand. Despite being glad Marinette is no longer Ladybug, they can see she is upset and want to comfort her. "Sweetie, what happened?"Her mom asks.

Marinette raises her head revealing a dampened face. "I failed." She says. "I got akumatized, and Paris found out that I'm Ladybug. Now I will never be Ladybug ever again." She sobs into her jeans. "How could I have let this happen? I let everyone down."

Marinette's parents look at each other. Being a superhero and saving the world is beyond them. They cannot give any advice. All they can do is hug Marinette and tell her that everything will be okay.

And bake her favorite macaroons.

* * *

Nathalie waits in front of the Agrest mansion when the family car drives up. Her face is neutral, but Adrien assumes that she's frustrated. He hesitates to get out of the car. He slowly opens the door and slides out.

Adrien opens his mouth to speak, but Nathalie cuts him off. "Adrien, your father would like to have a word with you." Her tone is flat. She tries to appear professional, but Adrien can tell that she's unsure how to react to this issue.

Adrien slouches and drags his feet into his home. Nathalie opens the door, and he enters. His father stands tall at the top of the center staircase. His hands fold behind his back, and his frown stiffens.

"Adrien!" His father scolds. "What were you thinking?" He marches down the stairs.

"I'm –"

"It's not safe for you to fight these dangerous villains. And do you even have the time for all this? Didn't you only get second place on those Mock Exams?"

"To be fair the person who got first is Ladybug, so…" Adrien trails off as if that statement means something. His father silently glares. He gives Adrien a chance to continue his insight, but Adrien backs down. "Sorry, Father." Adrien looks away in shame.

"I hope you are. As punishment, you are to hand over your Miraculous."

"But I don't have it anymore."

Adrien's father curls his hand back. "What?" His voice breaks from stern to shocked.

"I had to, Father. Everyone now knows that I'm Chat Noir."

His father does not know what to do. He paces while he thinks. "Did Ladybug also give back her Miraculous?"

"Of course."

"Very well then." He walks back to Adrien and places his hands on his shoulders. "In that case, you will no longer return to school."

"But Father –"

"I won't hear a word of it! Now go to your room and finish the rest of your studies."

Adrien hangs his head and his shoulders slump. "Yes, Father." He saunters up to his room.

* * *

Gabriel makes sure that Adrien's door is completely closed before he releases a sigh and hangs his head back. He massages the ends of his eyes and considers his next move as Hawkmoth.

Nathalie, who was there during the conversation, speaks up. "Sir, what's the next step?"

Gabriel recomposes himself. "What is Ladybug's name again?"

"Marinette Dupain-cheng."

Marinette Dupain-cheng. That is a name he will never forget. Not anymore. "Gather as much information on her as you can within the next twenty-four hours. We must act fast." Gabriel heads to his Hawkmoth lair with an evil smile etched on his face.

* * *

As soon as Adrien got into his room, he fell face first on his bed. He lies there like a starfish and fully inhales his mattress cover. He rolls over.

"Plagg, this is a nightmare." He sits up, realizing what he just said and who is no longer here. "Oh, right." He falls onto his side and curls into a ball. He is not a stranger to loneliness, but when was the last time he felt this lonely?

* * *

Marinette thought about it all weekend, but she still has no idea how to address her friends when she sees them at school. How will they treat her now that they know she is Ladybug? Was Ladybug. Will they be mad at her because she didn't tell them? Will they understand? Marinette is nowhere near prepared for the awkwardness she anticipates encountering.

Her usual group of friends stand in front of the stairway outside the school. The girls huddle in the center of the sidewalk while the boys lounge against the concrete railing. Rose is the first to see her.

"Marinette's here!" She squeaks.

Everyone turns to Marinette and applauds. The girls move off to the side to allow Marinette to walk through. Some of her friends cheer, and she sees Alya whistle. Marinette stops in the center, not sure what the applauds are for.

"What's going on?"

"Girl, are you serious?" Alya wraps an arm around Marinette's shoulder. "After what you've done as Ladybug, this is the least we can do."

"Yeah, Dude." Says Nino. "Thanks for all of those times you saved Alya and my brother. And for helping me when I got akumatized too."

Nathaniel squeezes his way through the crowd. "Marinette, you're an amazing Ladybug. Thank you for helping me when I turned into Evilistrator and that time when Reverser tried to kidnap me." He blushes.

Juleka speaks up. "Thank you for saving my mom and brother and for deakumatizing me when I was Reflecta."

"Marinette is an awesome Ladybug!" yells Rose.

"According to my calculations, that statement is 100% accurate." Says Max.

"Who would have thought that a clutz like Marinette would make such a great Ladybug?" says Alya. "Let's all give three cheers to the best Ladybug ever! Hip hip!"

"Hooray!"

"Hip hip!"

"Hooray!"

"Hip hip!"

"Hooray!" Everyone claps.

Alya cups her hand around her mouth and whispers into Marinette's ear. "And thank you for trusting me with Trixx." Alya smiles. "Nino thinks the same, by the way."

"Huh? Wha- Ooooh!" Nino realizes they are talking about the Miraculouses.

Marinette blushes and scratches the back of her head. "Thank you, everyone, but, I messed up." Her head hangs. "I got akumatized, and now I no longer have the Ladybug Miraculous."

Everyone becomes silent. It was not mentioned on the news, yet that Ladybug and Chat Noir had lost their Miraculous. The kids wonder what this will mean for the next akuma attack.

"So what?" Alya says. "That doesn't erase all the good you and Adrien did to when you were Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"By the way, where is Adrien?" Marinette asks. After everything that happened, she was hoping to see the one person who would understand what she's going through. Although, seeing him again after their identities have been revealed would probably be very awkward.

"Oh, you didn't hear?" Says Nino. "Since his father found out he was Chat Noir, he pulled Adrien out of school. Again."

"What? That's not fair!" Marinette yells.

"Here, here." Alya chants. She hugs Marinette tighter with the arm around Marinett'e shoulder. Marinette smiles up at Alya and only now notices the orange scarf around Alya's neck.

"New scarf?" Marinette asks.

Alya unwraps her arm around Marinette and twirls for the crowd. "I'm trying out a new style. What do you think?"

Marinette raises an eyebrow. "Honestly, it covers up the v-neckline that your blouse has. I think a simple necklace would be much better suited for you."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Chloe barges through pushing everyone away. "Move it, Losers! I need to talk to Marinette!" She grabs Marinette's arm and jerks her away.

Sabrina follows behind. "Yeah. Chloe needs to talk to Marinette."

Chloe turns to address Sabrina. "Alone." She continues to tug on Marinette's arm until they make it inside the school.

Marinette rubs the area of her arm where Chloe pulled her. "Was that really necessary?"

"Marinette, I need to talk to you." Marinette wonders if it could be more thank yous, but Chloe is rarely if ever grateful for anything. "Why did you give me the Bee Miraculous? I thought you hated me."

Marinette is stunned. "Why do you ask?"

"If Ladybug was anyone but you, I'd get it. She doesn't know me. She's someone who I admire and don't have to put in an effort to be nice to."

Marinette tries to recall the times Chloe was nice to Ladybug. There weren't many. "Uhuh." She pretends to agree with Chloe.

"But you! We!" She gestures her hands to Marinette and herself. "We hate each other! We're mean to each other!"

"Well…" Marinette can't remember any time where she was intentionally mean to Chloe. It mostly a defensive reaction to whenever Chloe was mean to her.

"But you still trusted me. Why?"

"Because it was the right thing to do." Marinette did not hesitate. "You're a good person, Chloe. And a great superhero."

Chloe chuckled. "I don't even think my parents think I'm a good person."

"Well you are. My gut wouldn't have told me to give you the Bee Miraculous otherwise."

Chloe blushes. She has admired Ladybug for so long that hearing her say this is overwhelming. "Thank you, Marinette. It's a shame that you're no longer Ladybug."

Marinette smiles at Chloe. "Can I get a hug?"

"Ugh! Don't be utterly ridiculous."

Marinette laughs, but the sweet moment is shortly outlived. Screams shriek and a gust of wind rushes by. Marinette gets jerked off the ground before she can process what is going on.

"Marinette!" Chloe yells. More of her classmates yell her name as she flies farther away from the school.

Marinette's eyes dry as the wind races by. She cranes her neck and realizes that Mr. Pidgeon took her away. But his coloration is different than usual. Instead of a pink bald cap, it's dark red, and the rest of his body is a slightly lighter shade of red.

"Put me down!" She yells. "I'm not Ladybug anymore."

"Sorry. Scarlet Moth's orders."

"Scarlet Moth?" If Hawkmoth is now Scarlet Moth, then there must be more akumatized victims. Hawkmoth must be taking advantage of the inexperienced, new Ladybug and Chat Noir. But why is Mr. Pidgeon, or Scarlet Pidgeon now, kidnapping her?

"Where are you taking me." She demands.

"Why don't you guess?"

"Let Marinette go!" Marinette hears Nino's voice. She turns her head and sees Carapace's shield spinning towards them. It hits Scarlet Pidgeon causing him to let go of Marinette. She freefalls. Without her powers, this fall could kill her. She prays for a miracle and gets one when Carapace catches her. He gently sets her on the ground.

"Wait here. Rena Rouge will be here soon." Carapace faces Scarlet Pidgeon and stretches his muscles. "In the meantime, I'll deal with this rat with feathers."

So Master Fu continued to give Carapace and Rena Rouge their Miraculouses. It makes sense to have more experienced superheroes guide the newer ones.

Carapace charges at Scarlet Pidgeon, and Scarlet Pidgeon screams. Within seconds, Scarlet Pidgeon gets deakumatized and a scarlet akuma flutters away.

Carapace feels proud that he defeated the villain by himself and waltzes towards Marinette. "I did a pretty good job there, right Dude? I didn't even have to use my power."

Marinette looks around in panic. "Where's the new Ladybug? You need to de-evilize the akuma!"

Carapace pauses. "You're right. I forgot about that. Shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Mr. Ramier perks back up after detransforming back. He looks around and realizes what just happened. "Again!" He falls to the ground and bangs his head on the concrete.

The scarlet akuma senses Mr. Ramier's distress. It settles on a nearby bench and multiplies before it returns to its victim.

"Mr. Ramier! You have to calm down!" Marinette shouts, but it's too late. The scarlet akuma enters Mr. Ramier's bird call whistle, and he transforms back into Scarlet Pidgeon.

A purple outline of a butterfly appears around his eyes as Scarlet Moth gives the orders. Scarlet Pidgeon flies towards Marinette. She tries to run away but is easily captured.

"No!" Carapace yells. He tries to go after her, but two other Scarlet Pidgeons tackle him to the ground.

"Carapace!" Marinette yells. Carapace manages to get back up, but Marinette doesn't see the outcome of the fight before she and Scarlet Pidgeon fly too far away to the Grand Palais. The place where Ladybug and Chat Noir first defeated Mr. Pidgeon.

* * *

When they land at the Grand Palais, Scarlet Moth throws Marinette in a cage and locks her in. She lands hard on her side with so much force that she rolls until she hits the cage bars. She cups her head as she slowly pushes herself up.

"I told you I'm no longer Ladybug!" She yells. "I don't have the Ladybug Miraculous! What do you want from me!"

"Information." Says Scarlet Pidgeon. "Tell me everything you know about the Miraculous."

* * *

**A/N: I only found this out when I was writing this chapter, but I apparently have been spelling Nathalie's name wrong. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME! XD**

**Also, the next chapter might be longer than usual. At least, it seems that way for right now, but we'll see!**


End file.
